Send the Gift of Lifelong Learning!

Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation

Gifting Information

Frequently Asked Questions

With an eGift, you can instantly send a Great Course to a friend or loved one via email. It's simple:

Find the course you would like to eGift.

Under “Choose a Format,” click on Video Download or Audio Download.

Click ‘Send e-Gift’

Fill out the details on the next page. You will need the email address of your friend or family member.

Proceed with the checkout process as usual.

Once you have paid for your order, your friend or loved one will receive an email letting them know that they have a gift waiting for them at TheGreatCourses.com. That gift will be added to their My Digital Library when they log in and click to redeem it.

Why do I need to specify the email of the recipient?

We will send that person an email to notify them of your gift.

If they are already a customer, they will be able to add the gift to their My Digital Library and mobile apps.

If they are not yet a customer, we will help them set up a new account so they can enjoy their course in their My Digital Library or via our free mobile apps.

How will my friend or family member know they have a gift?

They will receive an email from The Great Courses notifying them of your eGift. The email will direct them to TheGreatCourses.com.

What if my friend or family member does not receive the email?

If the email notification is missing, first check their Spam folder. Depending on your email provider, it may have mistakenly been flagged as spam. If it is not found, please email customer service at (customerservice@thegreatcourses.com) or call 1-800-832-2412 for assistance.

How will I know they have received my eGift?

When the recipient clicks on their email and redeems their eGift, you will automatically receive an email notification.

I don’t want to send downloads. How do I gift DVDs or CDs?

eGifting only covers digital products. To purchase a DVD or CD version of a course and mail it to a friend, please call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. Physical gifting can still be achieved online – can we describe that here and not point folks to call?

Oops! The recipient already owns the course I gifted. What now?

Great minds think alike! We can exchange the eGifted course for another course of equal value. Please call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance.

Can I select a date in the future to send my eGift?

Sorry, this feature is not available yet. We are working on adding it in the future.

What if the email associated with eGift is not for my regular Great Course account?

Please email customer service at (customerservice@thegreatcourses.com) or call our customer service team at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. They have the ability to update the email address.

When purchasing a gift for someone, why do I have to create an account?

This is done for two reasons. One is so you can track the purchase of the order in your ‘order history’ section as well as being able to let our customer service team track your purchase and the person who received it if the need arises.

Can I return or Exchange a gift after I purchase it?

Because the gift is sent immediately, it cannot be returned or exchanged by the person giving the gift. The recipient can exchange the gift for another course of equal or lesser value, or pay the difference on a more expensive item

Frequently Asked Questions

With an eGift, you can instantly send a Great Course to a friend or loved one via email. It's simple:
1. Find the course you would like to eGift.
2. Under "Choose a Format", click on Video Download or Audio Download.
3. Click 'Send e-Gift'
4. Fill out the details on the next page. You will need to the email address of your friend or family member.
5. Proceed with the checkout process as usual.

Q: Why do I need to specify the email of the recipient?

A:
We will send that person an email to notify them of your gift. If they are already a customer, they will be able to add the gift to their My Digital Library and mobile apps. If they are not yet a customer, we will help them set up a new account so they can enjoy their course in their My Digital Library or via our free mobile apps.

Q: How will my friend or family member know they have a gift?

A:
They will receive an email from The Great Courses notifying them of your eGift. The email will direct them to TheGreatCourses.com. If they are already a customer, they will be able to add the gift to their My Digital Library and mobile apps. If they are not yet a customer, we will help them set up a new account so they can enjoy their course in their My Digital Library or via our free mobile apps.

Q: What if my friend or family member does not receive the email?

A:
If the email notification is missing, first check your Spam folder. Depending on your email provider, it may have mistakenly been flagged as spam. If it is not found, please email customer service at (customerservice@thegreatcourses.com) or call 1-800-832-2412 for assistance.

Q: How will I know they have received my eGift?

A:
When the recipient clicks on their email and redeems their eGift, you will automatically receive an email notification.

Q: What if I do not receive the notification that the eGift has been redeemed?

A:
If the email notification is missing, first check your Spam folder. Depending on your email provider, it may have mistakenly been flagged as spam. If it is not found, please email customer service at (customerservice@thegreatcourses.com) or call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance.

Q: I don't want to send downloads. How do I gift DVDs or CDs?

A:
eGifting only covers digital products. To purchase a DVD or CD version of a course and mail it to a friend, please call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. Physical gifting can still be achieved online – can we describe that here and not point folks to call?

Q: Oops! The recipient already owns the course I gifted. What now?

A:
Great minds think alike! We can exchange the eGifted course for another course of equal value. Please call customer service at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance.

Q: Can I update or change my email address?

A:
Yes, you can. Go to My Account to change your email address.

Q: Can I select a date in the future to send my eGift?

A:
Sorry, this feature is not available yet. We are working on adding it in the future.

Q: What if the email associated with eGift is not for my regular Great Course account?

A:
Please please email customer service at (customerservice@thegreatcourses.com) or call our customer service team at 1-800-832-2412 for assistance. They have the ability to update the email address so you can put in your correct account.

Q: When purchasing a gift for someone, why do I have to create an account?

A:
This is done for two reasons. One is so you can track the purchase of the order in your ‘order history’ section as well as being able to let our customer service team track your purchase and the person who received it if the need arises.

Q: Can I return or Exchange a gift after I purchase it?

A:
Because the gift is sent immediately, it cannot be returned or exchanged by the person giving the gift. The recipient can exchange the gift for another course of equal or lesser value, or pay the difference on a more expensive item

What are priority codes?

Priority Codes are on the back of the catalog, mail promotion, or within an advertisement. To ensure that the pricing on the website is the same as what is in your catalog or advertisement, please enter the priority code provided.

What are priority codes?

Priority Codes are on the back of the catalog, mail promotion, or within an advertisement. To ensure that the pricing on the website is the same as what is in your catalog or advertisement, please enter the priority code provided.

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Protecting your privacy

The Great Courses Privacy Policy Effective Date:

July 15, 2014

Welcome to thegreatcourses.com (“The Great Courses”) Website (“Website”). The Great Courses, its subsidiaries and affiliates, or other members of our
family of companies value your participation and loyalty. We are committed to the protection of member and community privacy. The Great Courses has created
this Privacy Policy in order to demonstrate its commitment to the privacy and protection of your personal information. To better protect your privacy, The
Great Courses provides this notice explaining our information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.

Information about Us

Our Website is operated by The Teaching Company, LLC, 4840 Westfields Blvd., Suite 500, Chantilly, VA 20151-2299 (under the trading name of The Great
Courses). If you would like information on how to contact us, click Contact Us.

1. What Information Is Collected

The following are the types of information we may collect:

The Great Courses may collect personal information like name, telephone number, email address, date of birth, home or business mailing address, and details
regarding your mode of payment, e.g., credit/debit card or account information, when you access certain areas of the Website that require
registration or payment for products and services, or if you require more information about those services.

Non-Personal Information

At other times, The Great Courses may collect information that cannot be used to directly identify you, such as browser type, Dynamic Internet Protocol
(IP) address, “click stream” data, and similar non-personally identifiable information. For example, we may aggregate non-personal information about you
and other customers who visit certain areas of our Website. Aggregated information will not contain any information that can be linked directly back to
you.

While we take all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of our Website visitors, we cannot promise that the current limitations of our online
applications programming will address every browser setting or honor every personal browser preference. In particular, we have not implemented the
necessary program changes to honor “Do Not Track” or “DNT” browser signals. As our online applications programming is refined, we will take all reasonable
steps to honor such requests in the future. Please return to this Privacy Policy for further updates on this topic.

Further, our online service providers or business partners may implement technologies that allow for the collection of personally identifiable information
over time and across Websites. We recommend that you review each privacy policy posted on the Websites that you visit to better understand privacy
practices on those Websites.

Electronic Communications

When you open emails from us or engage in SMS or MMS communications, we may log and store such information. We may also keep records of various
communications regarding the types of products and services that you indicate are of interest to you via your response to email and text messaging. You
will always have the option to opt-out of such communications by clicking an “unsubscribe” link or replying “STOP” to our text messages.

2. How Do We Collect Information

We may collect information from you in several different areas on the Website, including, without limitation, those described below:

Registration

You may be asked to complete a registration form and provide personally identifiable information; you may also be asked to choose a user ID and password in
order to take advantage of certain features on the Website or digital messaging services, such as newsletters or contests. Your decision to register is
voluntary and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to us and what communications you would like to receive;
however, please be advised that many products and services available on the Website require registration and if you elect not to provide such information,
you will not be able to take advantage of those products and services.

Contests or Sweepstakes

We periodically operate contests and sweepstakes through the Website and messaging services that will require registration or the submission of personal
information. Your personally identifiable information may be used to contact you for winner notification, prize delivery confirmation or other related
purposes (see the rules of each contest for details about how your personal information will be used, including postings to the Website).

Surveys and Games

From time-to-time we may request personally identifiable information from you in conjunction with a survey or games, such as quizzes. Participation is
voluntary, and you will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to disclose information to the Website. At times, you may have to register to vote or
to take part in a survey. When you register to play games on our Website, you may be asked to provide personally identifiable information.

Cookies and Tracking Technology

We may use any number of tools to collect information about you, your computer access points, and the web browser that you use to connect to our Website.
For example, “cookies” are tiny text files that we place on your computer’s hard drive when you visit our Website. We may use cookies to personalize your
Website experience. You do not have to accept our cookies and you may delete them after they have been placed on your hard drive. If you do not accept or
delete our cookies, some areas of our Website that you access may take more time to work, or may not function properly. For more information about cookies,
visit: http://www.allaboutcookies.org.

The Great Courses may also collect additional information from your web browser each time you visit our Website. We may collect information on the pages
that you visit, the promotions or advertisements that you click on, and other actions that you take while using our Website. This information may include
your IP address, the type of browser, the time that your browser was used to access our Website, and the referring Website address.

Our Internet Service Providers (defined below) may also use other standard web-based technologies to analyze your movements while accessing our Website.
The technologies include analytic solutions, web “beacons,” “pixel tags,” and “clear gifs.” These technologies help us ascertain the effectiveness of our
product and service campaigns and marketing programs, allow us to customize the services offered on or through our Website, and help determine the best use
for Website content, and product and service offerings. Some of this information, including the IP address, may be stored on our Internet service
provider’s server logs, and may be available for extended periods of time.

Transaction Information

If you conduct a financial or other transaction with the Website, such as subscribe to a Subscription Product or other products/services offered on the
Website, we will ask you to complete an order form that will request certain information from you, including contact information, demographic information
and/or financial information. Even though the collection form may have the look and feel of thegreatcourses.com, please be aware you may be giving your
information directly to the third party Internet Service Provider, and that in some instances such third party Internet Service Provider's Privacy Policy
will govern the collection of your personal information. Please reference the privacy policies available from these pages for any privacy related concerns.

We and/or our Internet Service Providers will use this information to complete the financial or other transaction that you have requested, i.e.,
to deliver the information, products or other services that you request or purchase, to invoice you, and in a manner consistent with this Privacy Policy.
For your protection, financial information is collected and stored through encrypted means.

We use your personal information to send you order confirmations. In such cases, you should receive via e-mail an order confirmation within moments of
placing your order. Designed to supplement your learning experience, you will receive course starter materials for every course you purchase. These
materials include the professor's summary of the course, links to recommended websites, and recommended readings. Occasionally, you will receive
interesting and compelling articles of interest on the subjects covered by our courses. From time-to-time you may receive e-mail surveys to vote for The
Great Courses you want us to make, to rate the quality of The Great Courses you have purchased, to tell us what improvements to make to The Great Courses
and our services, and to tell us which professors we should choose to make the next Great Course. We may also use your personal information to notify you
of special offers. You will receive e-mails notifying you when courses featured in our print catalogs and newsletters go on sale. These e-mails also make
ordering extremely simple—if you see courses that interest you, simply click on the links in the e-mail to find out more.

We may also use your IP address to help protect us and our Internet Service Providers from fraud. Additional uses of your non-personal and personal
information will allow us to tailor products and services specific to your needs, to help organize and manage your customer relationship and our business,
to conduct business, to provide you with customer and member support, to perform functions that are described to you at the time of collection, and to
enforce our Website’s Terms and Conditions of Use.

We may also use non-personal aggregate information to improve our Website. For example, our Internet Service Providers may report to us that there were a
particular number of visitors to a certain area of our Website, or that a certain number of men or a certain number of women completed our registration
form in particular areas of our Website. Such information may also be used to analyze the effectiveness of our business and advertising models.

4. Shared Information

We may share your personal information with the Internet Service Providers as appropriate. For personal information collected after the effective date of
this Privacy Policy, we may also share personally identifiable information with outside, non-affiliated third parties that offer products and services that
are complementary to our product lines. However, such collection and use of personal information will not be retroactively applied to personal information
collected before the effective date of this Privacy Policy, without your consent. We may also disclose your personal information as is necessary to: (a)
comply with a subpoena or court order; (b) cooperate with law enforcement or other government agency; (c) establish or exercise our legal rights; (d)
protect the property or safety of our company and employees, contractors, vendors, and suppliers; (e) defend against legal claims; (f) help with internal
and external investigations; or (g) as otherwise required by law or permitted by law. We may disclose your information in connection with the sale or
merger of The Great Courses or any transaction that involves the sale or assignment of some or all of our assets.

Third-Party ad serving, analytics, and audience and traffic measurement services: We may use a third-party network advertiser to serve the advertisements
on the Website or may use a traffic measurement service to analyze the traffic on the Website. Network advertisers are third parties that display
advertisements based on your visits to this Website and other Websites you have visited. Third-party ad serving enables us to target advertisements to you
for products or Websites you might be interested in. audience and traffic measurement services allow us to collect anonymous traffic and behavior
information from the Website by monitoring anonymous visitor activity. Although advertisers or other companies do not have access to the Website cookies,
the Website's advertisers, sponsors and/or traffic measurement services may themselves set and access their own cookies on your computer if you choose to
have your cookies enabled in your browser. Cookies allow third-party advertisers to show you advertisements or content you might be interested in. Note
that any images (or any other parts of a web page) served by third parties in association with third-party cookies may serve as web beacons, which enable
third parties to carry out the previously described activities. Other companies' uses of their cookies are subject to their own privacy policies, not this
one. Please visit http://www.networkadvertising.org/optout_nonppii.asp in order to learn more about the information collection practices and "opt-out"
procedures of third-party ad servers we may use.

With regard to name and postal address only, from time to time, we may make our mailing list available to carefully screened companies. If you prefer we
don’t share your name and postal address, please call our Customer Care team at 1-800-832-2412 or write to us at The Great Courses, 4840 Westfields Blvd.,
Suite 500, Chantilly, VA, 20151-2299. (However, because this reflects a change in practice, the new policy applies only to the names and postal addresses
of new customers added to our mailing list after October 1, 2013.)

5. Links To Third-party Websites

Links of this Website may allow you to directly access Websites operated by third parties, including, without limitation, our service providers (such as
third-party shopping cart service provider) or marketing providers. Some of these third-party marketing channels may be “co-branded” with our logo; even
so, these third-party channels are not operated, controlled or maintained by The Great Courses. These channels or links are provided for your convenience
only and should be used with your discretion and prudent judgment. Links from our Website to third-party Websites do not constitute sponsorship,
endorsement, or approval of the content, policies or practices of such third-party Websites. The collection and use of your information by such co-branding
third parties is the responsibility of the co-branding partner, and they may use your personal information for their direct marketing purposes. We are not
responsible for any information these Websites or digital channels may obtain and we do not oversee their policies or practices. This Privacy Policy does
not apply to information provided to or gathered by the third parties that operate them. The privacy policies of these third-party Websites may differ from
ours. These Websites may ask you for Personal Information. Please review the privacy policy on third-party channels before submitting information, because
we do not have control over the use of information collected on these Websites. Please review the privacy policies and practices of these digital channels
before providing any Personal Information.

6. Information Security

The Great Courses makes reasonable efforts to ensure that our Internet Service Providers have implemented physical, electronic, and procedural security
measures to assist with safeguarding your personal information, and to help protect against unauthorized access and disclosure. Only our authorized
personnel and our Internet Service Providers who perform legitimate business functions for The Great Courses are authorized to access your personal
information.

Notwithstanding our efforts, the Internet and online services have inherent security risks. The Great Courses cannot promise, and you should not expect,
that your personal information, personal searches, and other communications will always remain secure. You should take care with regard to how you handle
and disclose your personal information or any username or password that you are required to use to access services on this Website or online service.

7. Data Retention Periods

We will retain your personally identifiable information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide you services. If you wish to cancel
your account or request that we no longer use your information to provide you services contact us at customerservice@thegreatcourses.com. We will retain and use your information as necessary to
comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

8. Other Social Media Websites, Blogs, Message Boards

The Website and The Great Courses Mobile application ("The Great Courses Mobile") may make chat rooms, forums, commenting and message boards available to
you and other users. You are not required to provide any personal information when using these areas but you may choose to do so. If you post personal
information online, it will be publicly available and you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties. In addition, when you post a comment to The
Great Courses Mobile, the user name with which you registered for the Website and your current location will be made publicly available on the Website and
through The Great Courses Mobile. By using the commenting features of the Website and The Great Courses Mobile, you acknowledge that your user name and
location information will be disclosed. We cannot ensure the security of any information you choose to make public in a chat room, forum, or message board.
Also, we cannot ensure that parties who have access to such publicly available information will respect your privacy. Please exercise caution when deciding
to disclose personal information in these areas. To request removal of your personal information from our blog or community forum, contact us at: customerservice@thegreatcourses.com. In some cases, we may not be able to remove your personal
information, in which case we will let you know if we are unable to do so and why.

9. General Audience Website Not Directed Toward Children

This Website is a general audience Website. Our content is neither directed toward minors nor children who are under the age of 13. We do not knowingly
collect personal information from children under the age of 13. If The Great Courses or our Internet Service Providers become aware that a minor or a child
under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information without the parental consent, that information will be deleted from our databases. Parents
who have questions about personal information that may have been submitted by a child under the age of 13 should email us at: customerservice@thegreatcourses.com.

10. Consent to Privacy Policy

By using the Website, you signify your agreement to the terms of this Privacy Policy. We may amend this Privacy Policy at any time. If we make a material
change to the way in which we collect, use, and/or share your personal information, we will post a notice on the Website and/or send an email to users who
have provided an email address. Please note that you should always update your personal information to provide us with a current email address.

11. Access to Personal Information and Consent to Transfer

The first time that you provide us with registration information through our Website, you may be offered the opportunity to subscribe to and receive
additional information about our products and services. After your first use, you can make changes to your personal information and your initial choices by
accessing your account or by contacting customer service e-mail at customerservice@thegreatcourses.com.

The United States may not have data privacy laws that are deemed to afford an equal level of protection for your Personal Information as those laws
legislated at the direction of the European Union or similar geopolitical, national or regional legislative bodies. However, please be assured that The
Great Courses will continue to adhere to the principles stated in this Privacy Policy and will make reasonable efforts to comply with applicable
international, national, regional, territorial, and provincial laws in connection with any information collected through the Website. The Great Courses
will endeavor to preserve the integrity, confidentiality, and security of personal information and afford such personal information reasonable level of
protection.

For those Website users located outside the United States, we advise you that your information may at times be accessible by individuals who are located
worldwide including in countries that the European Commission or other geopolitical regions have not been determined to provide the same level of data
protection as in your country, province, territory or geopolitical region. By providing us with your Personal Information, you consent to our use of it in
accordance with The Great Courses’ Privacy Policy, including the transfer of your information across international boundaries to jurisdictions anywhere in
the world as permitted by local law.

12. Your California Privacy Rights

Other than as is stated by this Privacy Policy, the Great Courses will not share any personal information about you with outside third-parties for their
direct marketing purposes to the extent prohibited by California law, unless you agree otherwise as authorized by your prior written consent.

California residents have the right to request information from The Great Courses regarding the manner that we may share personal information with
affiliated companies and third parties for their direct marketing purposes. To find out what and how we share such information, you may send us an e-mail
request at: customerservice@thegreatcourses.com or mail a request to: Privacy Officer, The Great
Courses 4840 Westfields Blvd. Suite #500 Chantilly, VA 20151-2299, and receive the following information:

A. The categories of information we disclosed to third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year, if any;

B. The names and addresses of the third parties who received information for their direct marketing purposes; and

C. Examples of the products and services subject to the third-parties’ direct marketing programs, if the nature of the third parties’ business cannot be
determined from their names.

Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation

While this set works well in both audio and video format, one or more of the courses in this set feature graphics to enhance your learning experience, including illustrations, images of people and event, and on-screen text.

Course Overview

About This Course

36 lectures | 30 minutes per lecture

Edward Gibbon's stirring Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire painted an unforgettable portrait of the Roman Empire in a long, debilitating slide to oblivion, culminating in an agonizing death at the hands of barbarian savages. But two centuries after Gibbon, historians have reevaluated this picture to create a radically different understanding of the period, which they now call "late antiquity."

This new view posits several fundamental changes:

"Barbarians" were not all one people; they weren't particularly barbaric; and they entered the empire mostly by invitation or migration—not by invasion.

The sack of Rome by Visigoths in 410 was effectively a looting spree. Churches were spared and there was no slaughter of the population.

View More

Edward Gibbon's stirring Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire painted an unforgettable portrait of the Roman Empire in a long, debilitating slide to oblivion, culminating in an agonizing death at the hands of barbarian savages. But two centuries after Gibbon, historians have reevaluated this picture to create a radically different understanding of the period, which they now call "late antiquity."

This new view posits several fundamental changes:

"Barbarians" were not all one people; they weren't particularly barbaric; and they entered the empire mostly by invitation or migration—not by invasion.

The sack of Rome by Visigoths in 410 was effectively a looting spree. Churches were spared and there was no slaughter of the population.

The "fall" of the western Roman Empire in 476 was hardly noticed by people at the time. It was only long after the fact that it was seen as a cataclysmic event.

Contrary to Gibbon's view of Christianity as a cause of Rome's decline, much of the empire's legacy lived on through the institutions of the church.

Far from being a period of decline and fall, late antiquity marked one of history's great turning points. The fundamental reordering of the Roman Empire that took place spawned three great civilizations: Medieval Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic Caliphate. This startling transformation survives to the present day in many of the political, cultural, and religious traditions spanning the region from the British Isles to the Middle East—traditions that have spread their influence around the planet.

Late Antiquity: Crisis and Transformation takes you through five momentous centuries that link the Classical world with the modern, in 36 half-hour lectures by distinguished medieval historian Dr. Thomas F. X. Noble, Professor of History and Chair of the Department of History at the University of Notre Dame.

Continuity and Innovation

A brisk and entertaining lecturer and winner of prestigious teaching awards from the University of Virginia and Notre Dame, Professor Noble shows in fascinating detail how one storied era, the Roman Empire, gradually faded into something remarkably new but also recognizably the same.

Covering the period from A.D. 235 to 750, Late Antiquity opens with Rome near its pinnacle of power and geographical extent, stretching from Mesopotamia in the east to Spain in the west; from the Sahara Desert at the empire's southern limit to the Scottish highlands, the Rhine, and the Danube at its northern frontier. Yet severe cracks were beginning to appear. One portent of trouble: Between 235 and 284, a succession of 70 legitimate emperors and usurpers waged a bloody struggle for imperial control.

Five hundred years later, the map over which these men fought was almost unrecognizable. The Byzantine Empire, centered at Constantinople, was the only administrative division of the old Roman Empire still extant. From the east through North Africa to Spain, the new civilization of Islam ruled. And most of what had once been the western Roman Empire had broken into a succession of barbarian Christian kingdoms.

But where earlier generations of historians saw the end of Roman civilization, the new scholarly consensus is that Rome was reinventing itself, seeding its customs and culture into the sibling civilizations of western Christianity, Byzantium, and Islam.

In this course, you explore these key features of late antiquity:

How this tripartite division occurred

The memorable rulers who led the way, such as the Roman emperors Diocletian, Constantine, and Justinian; the barbarian kings Alaric and Clovis; and the Islamic caliphs Mu'awiya and Abd al-Malik

The advances in systematizing legal codes, which made late antiquity one of the greatest periods of jurisprudence in history, contrary to its reputation as a time of decay and disorder

The ebb and flow of different barbarian peoples, who were often ethnically diverse confederations of disparate tribes

The religious leaders who forged Christianity and Islam, including Anthony, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and Muhammad

The architecture, visual arts, and literature of the period, which reflected both continuity with existing classical models and daring innovation

You also learn what it was like to live in the late antique world, how people earned their livings, how the rich and poor differed, the role of women in society, and the great cities of the era and what distinguished them.

New Institutions, States, Religions, and Arts

The long course of Roman history had its share of surprises, with stretches of stability punctuated by wars and the rise of successive rulers. But nothing in Rome's previous experience compared with the ferment of late antiquity, which saw the unpredictable growth of new institutions, states, religions, and arts. A betting person at the time, says Professor Noble, would have been very reluctant to risk a wager on any of the following developments, which in fact came to pass:

that the crisis of the 3rd century would be resolved by a seemingly ordinary general named Diocletian, who became emperor and gave the moribund empire a new lease on life for another two centuries;

that the followers of Jesus would not only establish the Roman state religion but also amass powers exceeding those of the emperor;

that the Old Testament prohibition against graven images would be ignored by most Christian leaders, sparking the spectacular growth of creative visual arts in the church; and

that, most shocking of all, a new religion called Islam would arise among the desert tribes of Arabia, with militant adherents who would take over permanently a large part of the Roman Empire.

A Period of Transition

At the start of late antiquity, Christianity was a persecuted sect. A century later, Constantine legalized the faith and embraced it himself, attributing to Christ the victory that made him sole emperor. But when he built his triumphal arch in Rome, he identified his benefactor only as "the highest god," an ambiguous phrase designed not to offend pagans. This perfectly illustrates how late antiquity was a transitional period, with a new order and new sensibilities taking hold only gradually.

Professor Noble shows this transformation occurring in many areas, including philosophy, history, and poetry. For example, Christianity took ancient philosophy in an entirely new direction, with thinkers such as the church father Augustine challenging and adapting classical ideas to create a rigorous new theology. In fact, Augustine qualifies as the most prolific author in the Latin language, surpassing even Cicero in his ceaseless devotion to setting his wide-ranging thoughts to paper.

The traditional classification of literary periods divides pagan from Christian, even though the early Christian writers adopted classical models in their use of rhetoric, literary genres, and poetic meters. You learn why it makes much more sense to see the writings of the church fathers and other late antiquity authors as the last great age of ancient literature.

Five Eventful Centuries Made Clear

Anyone who has ever consulted a historical atlas cannot help but be struck by the mercurial, often confusing maps that represent late antiquity. The DVD version of this course features hundreds of specially designed maps (some of which are also included in the course booklet) that marvelously clear up the story of shifting peoples and borders over the course of five eventful centuries. Created under Professor Noble's direction, these visual aids are unique for any comparable presentation of the subject.

Another way Professor Noble clears up confusion is by casting the ethnic identities of the barbarians in an intriguing new light. "No premodern people we know about ever called themselves German," he says. Similarly, the Visigoths, Vandals, Franks, and other groups who are traditionally pictured as tribal hoards knocking down the gates of the empire are really complex amalgams of different peoples, who forged a unified identity under the process of ethnogenesis and then settled the Roman Empire under a wide range of circumstances—some violent, most not.

After taking this course you will never think of the barbarians and the "fall" of Rome in quite the same way again. Your imagination will be alive with the incidents, innovations, and peoples of an exciting era that gave birth to us all: late antiquity.

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36 Lectures

1

The World of Late Antiquity

After exploring the origin of the term "late antiquity," you learn why this historical view better reflects the period from the 3rd to the 8th centuries than the traditional view that Rome had a "decline and fall." This lecture also outlines the major themes and issues of the course. x

2

The Crisis of the 3rd Century

In this lecture you turn to the crisis of the 3rd century, when Rome found its frontiers threatened on several fronts. Armies made and unmade emperors with alarming regularity. The literature of the period also reveals unmistakable feelings of despair and uncertainty. x

3

The New Empire of Diocletian

No one could have predicted that Rome was about to raise up two of its greatest rulers: Diocletian and Constantine. You learn how Diocletian instituted a series of reforms that divided the empire into east and west while also launching the last and fiercest persecution of Christians. x

4

Constantine's Roman Revolution

Turning to Constantine, you see how he extended Diocletian's reforms. Among them, he gave the empire a new capital at Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople after himself. He also took the surprising step of legalizing Christianity. x

5

The House of Constantine, 337–363

Constantine's dynasty lasted through his sons and his nephew Julian, who continued the path of reform. You examine administrative, foreign policy, economic, and religious challenges during this period. In religion, Julian attempted to restore the pagan cults. x

6

The End of a Unified Empire

In the five decades after Julian's death in 363, the Roman Empire lurched from crisis to crisis. But it also raised up one of late antiquity's greatest rulers in Theodosius, who dealt with the Goths and the Persians and made Catholicism Rome's state religion. x

7

Ruling the Roman Empire—The Imperial Center

This lecture looks at the powers, duties, and responsibilities of the emperors, together with the basic ideas that sustained the imperial regime. Also examined are the people who advised the emperor and the nature of the offices they held. x

8

Ruling the Roman Empire—The Provinces

You turn here to the vast administrative hierarchy by which Rome accomplished the task of managing a state that extended from the north of Britain to Mesopotamia. Concluding reflections examine how effective Rome's government actually was. x

9

The Barbarians—Ethnicity and Identity

The barbarians were continually changing groups of peoples who defy the popular view that they were ethnically distinct tribes that invaded the empire in a coordinated fashion. This lectures asks: Who were they? What were their relations with Rome? And how do we know about them? x

10

Rome and the Barbarians

You take the Visigoths as a case study of barbarian interactions with the Roman Empire. The Visigoths under Alaric famously sacked the city of Rome in 410, but this was neither an invasion nor a catastrophe to the city. Around 418 they settled in Gaul under an imperial treaty. x

11

Barbarian Kingdoms—Gaul

In addition to the Visigoths, the Burgundians and the Franks also erected kingdoms in Gaul. As the 5th century unfolded, the Franks overwhelmed the Visigoths and the Burgundians, creating the most successful and long-lived of the barbarian kingdoms. x

12

Barbarian Kingdoms—Spain and North Africa

You examine the shifting fortunes of the barbarian kingdoms and their continuing relations with Rome. In 406 the Alans, Sueves, and Vandals crossed the Rhine, initiating a sequence of events that would eventually establish the Visigoths in Spain and the Vandals in North Africa. x

13

Barbarian Kingdoms—Italy

Sent to Italy by Constantinople to restore order, the Ostrogoths created a remarkable kingdom under Theodoric. In the turmoil after Theodoric's death, the emperor Justinian invaded Italy, launching the devastating Gothic Wars. Eventually defeated, the Ostrogoths were supplanted by the Lombards. x

14

The Eastern Empire in the 5th Century

This lecture steps back to survey the Eastern Roman Empire when the Western empire was embroiled in barbarian kingdoms. The long reign of Theodosius II (401–450) saw a great codification of Roman law, military successes in the Balkans, and continuing religious strife. x

15

The End of the Western Empire

You come to the event notoriously known as "the fall of the Roman Empire"—meaning the empire in the West. In 476 the barbarian general Odovacer overthrew the last of the Western emperors, Romulus Augustulus, inauspiciously named for two of Rome's greatest leaders. x

16

The Age of Justinian, 527–565

While Roman rule would never be restored in the West, the East raised up an exceptional ruler, Justinian, one of Rome's greatest emperors. His many reforms include the Corpus Iuris Civilis, perhaps the most influential collection of law ever assembled. x

17

The Christianization of the Roman World

How did an obscure religious sect eventually take over the Roman world? Christianity had two things that no pagan cult ever possessed: a recognized body of authoritative texts, and an increasingly sophisticated administrative system that gradually reached across the empire. x

18

Christianity and the Roman State

You examine how the Roman state shifted from persecution to tolerance to promotion of Christianity. Several key pieces of legislation built the church into the public and private life of the empire. Christianity and the Roman state each benefited, with Christianity benefiting more. x

19

The Rise of the Roman Church

It was by no means foreordained that the bishop of Rome, eventually to be called the pope, would achieve preeminence in the church. This lecture looks at how the bishops of Rome exercised their office and interacted with other church leaders. You also survey some significant early popes. x

20

The Call of the Desert—Monasticism

The emergence of Christian monasticism in Egypt is one of late antiquity's most dynamic and characteristic achievements. Instead of engaging the world, as the church and its leaders did, monks fled normal society. This lecture focuses on the Desert Fathers and their first followers. x

21

Monasticism—Solitaries and Communities

Within a century of monasticism's origins, monks and nuns could be found in large numbers in every corner of the Roman Empire. This lecture explores how and why the monastic movement spread. In the East the more solitary form of monasticism prevailed, whereas in the West the communal form triumphed. x

22

The Church Fathers—Talking About God

The writings of the church fathers represent the last great age of ancient literature. Among the Greek fathers, this lecture focuses on Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory Nazianzus and looks at how they helped create a vocabulary and structures of thought for the Christian faith. x

23

Patristic Portraits

Augustine was the most prolific author in ancient Latin letters, pagan or Christian. In his long and colorful life he became one of the most influential thinkers in the history of Christianity. In addition to discussing Augustine, this lecture considers Origen, John Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Jerome. x

24

"What Has Athens to Do with Jerusalem?"

Tertullian asked, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?"—meaning, why should Christians concern themselves with classical culture? You see how Christian writers adapted classical models in genres from philosophy to poetry to history. You also study the changing educational system in late antiquity. x

25

Graven Images—Christianity's Visual Arts

Given the Old Testament prohibition against graven images, it was by no means certain that Christianity would develop visual arts. But it did—in profusion. After Christianity gained legal status in the empire, the arts exploded in a dazzling array of frescoes, mosaics, and sculptures. x

26

The Universal in the Local—Cities

Cities were culturally dominant in late antiquity. At the same time, only 10% to 15% of people lived in urban areas. This lecture examines the nature of cities—large and small, central and remote—using careful reading of the evidence to extract information such as population numbers. x

27

Rome and Constantinople

You explore late antiquity's greatest cities, Rome and Constantinople, studying population, occupations, cultural attainments, and major buildings. During this time, Rome faced challenge, shrinkage, and decay, while Constantinople was a great city just coming into being. x

28

Visigothic Spain and Merovingian Gaul

You turn to Visigothic Spain and Merovingian Gaul. The Franks in Gaul and the Visigoths in Spain were the most successful of the early barbarian kingdoms. While the Visigoths eventually lost Spain to Berber and Arab invaders in 711, the Franks flourished under the Merovingian dynasty x

29

Celt and Saxon in the British Isles

Moving to the edge of the late antique world, you examine the British Isles, which provide a fascinating example of how peoples who were little if at all influenced by the Romans were drawn into the orbit of European civilization by the Catholic Church. x

30

The Birth of Byzantium

You shift to the part of the empire that lasted until 1453—the Eastern Roman Empire. Eventually it became a distinctive regime that historians call the Byzantine Empire, developing a separate foreign policy from the West and evolving into its own form of Christianity: Greek Orthodoxy. x

31

Byzantium—Crisis and Recovery

In the early 8th century, Byzantium appeared headed toward the same fate as the Western Roman Empire. But it was saved by a new dynasty of rulers, including Leo III, who instigated iconoclasm—the rejection of religious imagery. The end of the century saw the reign of the remarkable empress Irene. x

32

Muhammad and the Rise of Islam

The rise of Islam is the most surprising development of late antiquity. You begin with a survey of pre-Islamic Arabia. Then you turn to Muhammad and his essential teachings, concluding with a look at the situation in the Arabian peninsula on Muhammad's death in 632. x

33

The Rise of the Caliphate

After Muhammad's death, his associates fashioned a military machine that swept from Arabia to North Africa. By the early 8th century, parts of Persia and central Asia had also been overrun. This lecture concludes with a look at some of the early caliphs, the leaders considered to be Muhammad's successors. x

34

Material Life in Late Antiquity

How was wealth generated in the Roman imperial and post-imperial worlds? How was that wealth distributed through society? The most revealing aspect of material conditions in late antiquity is the vast disparity of incomes between the wealthy and the ordinary citizens of the Roman world. x

35

The Social World of Late Antiquity

This lecture looks at social conditions in the regions ruled by the Romans, the barbarian kingdoms, Byzantium, and the Caliphate. The all-pervasive feature of society that was most pronounced and likely to seem strangest to modern observers centered on entrenched ideas of hierarchy. x

36

What Happened, and Why Does It Matter?

At the end of the 8th century, how would the rulers of Byzantium, the Frankish Empire, and the Caliphate have looked back on the world of Diocletian, 500 years earlier? The answer says much about the remarkable transformations of late antiquity. You conclude with reflections on what makes this historical period distinct. x

Lecture Titles

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Ph.D. Thomas F. X. Noble

University of Notre Dame

Dr. Thomas F. X. Noble is Professor of History at the University of Notre Dame. He earned his B.A. in History from Ohio University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval History from Michigan State University. Professor Noble has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and research grants from the American Philosophical Society. In 2008 he received the Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Award for Excellence in Teaching from Notre Dame. In 1999 he was awarded the Alumni Distinguished Professor Award and a David Harrison III Award for outstanding undergraduate advising, both from the University of Virginia. Professor Noble is the author, coauthor, or editor of 10 books and has published more than 40 articles, chapters, and essays. His coauthored textbook, Western Civilization: The Continuing Experiment, is in its 5th edition. His research has concentrated on late antiquity and the early Middle Ages, focusing on the history of the city of Rome, the history of the papacy, and the age of Charlemagne.

Reviews

Rated 4.6 out of 5 by 39
reviewers.

Rated 5 out of 5 by jamcar78 Amazing Material, Amazing Professor
Although I first obtained this course several years ago, I just recently completed it for the second time. It is very essential information about a time epoch that I had little prior knowledge of. Although the title, "Late Antiquity," might suggest everything covered is in the later part of the BCE period, the course goes well into the period we know as the Late Middle Ages. Dr. Noble does an excellent job of showing how economic, political, social, and religious factors were so intertwined, and how such factors were constantly changing.
I viewed these lectures on DVD, and I found the maps, graphics, and visuals very helpful, especially since the political divisions of those times are quite different from today. Dr. Noble always remembers audio only listeners, since he often refers to certain areas as to what the area under examination is known as today. I also have Dr. Noble's course on Western Civilization on audio, and his voice is well suited for either medium.
Some reviewers have sometimes commented on Dr. Noble's occasional stammering and fumbling for words. I did not find this distracting in the least, since I could tell that his mind was working so fast, his mouth sometimes had difficulty keeping work. I take this as a sign of his fantastic level of scholarship. This occasional speech deal, I feel, is more obvious on the video, and less when listening to him only on audio.
This course fits in nicely with other similar Great Courses offerings. In addition to the Western Civilization course mentioned above, there is also some overlap, #and great supplementary information# in Dr. Harl's course on Rome and the Barbarians, and Dr. Daileader's course on The Early Middle Ages. And, I am sure that there are several other supplementary courses, of which I have not yet obtained.
In conclusion, this course does a wonderful job of showing, as the later part of the course title suggests, in showing how some of the turbulent times of the ancient world, were gradually transformed into part of the "modern" that we know of in our own times.
September 9, 2014

Rated 5 out of 5 by NYNM Worthwhile and well done
The first strength of this course is the topic itself. While it was common to think of this period in history as the "Dark Ages", we are treated to an "illuminating" discussion of the history "in-between" the classical and medieval world.
Noble takes the position of "continuity" tracing developments (for example, the expansion of Christianity, diversity and unity among the "Barbarians" example, and the importance of the Byzantine Empire) which were far from stagnant. His use of the word "late antiquity" further promotes the concept of a unified history. He begins with a lectures on Rome and to begin the thread and contextualize the roots of medievalism found there.
This is, to me, quite significant, because it promotes an awareness of roughly 500 years of civilization that had generally been places in "nowhere", when in fact many institutions were alive, growing, and influencing the future.
His lecture style is clear, well-organized, and with some sense of humor. His intellectual perspective provides a unique, an much needed view of human history.
January 24, 2009

Rated 5 out of 5 by LifelongLearner The dark ages weren't so dark
Somewhere, way back in time, I learned that Rome didn't fall with a crash but fizzled, in a way, from its own policies. Rome had allowed its provinces to run themselves as long as these provinces paid the proper tribute to Rome. And so it happened.
Professor Noble clearly tells us that the terms "the fall of the Roman Empire" and "the dark ages" are inaccurate terms. The period from the 3rd to the 8th century CE were active, vibrant periods.
Many of the other reviewers have given lots of details of this period so I won't repeat them. I noticed 2 themes:
1. How the hordes of 'barbarians' we learned about in school did not conquer Rome and, in fact, were quite receptive to the Roman ways, and
2. How much religion played a part in the history of this period -- from the Roman church and 'paganism' in the west to the Byzantine, and later, the Muslim in the east. Many of the issues that originated during this period are still being played out today.
Professor Noble knows his topic and presents it well. I've taken other courses of his and will surely do more.
January 5, 2015

Rated 5 out of 5 by Childeric History made fascinating
This course, presented by an outstanding lecturer, covers the transition between the decline (transformation) of the Roman empire and the Early Middle Ages. It explodes many common myths about the events and personalities of late antiquity in a most engaging way. The key personalities, such as Diocletian, Constantine, Theodosius Ii, Heraclius, Augustine, Mohammed, and many others, are presented in a way that makes their contribution to the period come to life. This is a superb course presented by an outstanding lecturer who not only know his subject extraordinarily well but presents it with truly infectious enthusiasm. I particularly appreciated the frequent references to primary historical material, as well as commentaries on its source, volume, and reliability.
December 14, 2014